Brandon Hawk

Academic Background

B.A., Houghton College M.A., Ph.D., University of Connecticut

With a Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from the University of Connecticut (2014), I joined the RIC English Department in 2015. My fields of expertise are Old and Middle English, Old Norse, history of the English language, digital humanities, the Bible as/in literature, translation, and the history of the book. Most of my interests in research and teaching encompass what might be called transmission studies: the afterlives of texts, including circulation, translations, adaptations, and representations in various cultures and media.

I enjoy reading a range of medieval literature, including Old English poetry like
Beowulf and
The Dream of the Rood; apocalyptic visions of heaven and hell like Dante’s
Inferno; as well as Old Norse sagas about Vikings like Sigurd the Dragon-Slayer and Ragnar Shaggy-Breeches. I also appreciate being able to teach about literature more widely, such as contemporary speculative fiction, graphic novels, and the history of text technologies from medieval manuscripts to the digital age. In approaching all of these, I encourage thinking beyond the words on the page—to consider contexts like materiality, history, and culture that help us to understand literature.

I am currently working on my first book, tentatively titled
Preaching Apocrypha in Anglo-Saxon England. In this project, I challenge normative assumptions about the use of non-canonical gospels, apostolic acts, and apocalypses in sermons—particularly Old English translations—suggesting that they are a substantial part of the apparatus of tradition inherited by Anglo-Saxons. I explore transmissions of Christian apocrypha as, on the one hand, hermeneutic in expanding and explaining biblical and doctrinal knowledge, and, on the other hand, ideological, institutional responses to local pedagogical needs.

In my free time, I take hikes, read books, binge-watch Netflix, hang out with my cat, and listen to music—especially selections from my vinyl record collection. You can check out my website and blog about teaching and research at
http://brandonwhawk.net.